Comments on: As Rail Tragedies Fade From Memory, Resistance to Safety Rule Gains Steam

By: Barbara Kloster

Barbara Kloster — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 21:21:05 +0000

Just a note to bring those interested, up to date on Veolia and the 2008 Metrolink crash.
The L.A. City Council signed a contract with Veolia to operate the DASH Bus line even tho Veolia admitted no liability to the Metrolink tragedy. The Council did not do their homework and supposedly are now looking into it with the Department of Transportation. The head of the Dept. of Trans. is also on the SCRRA Board. What a co-incidence if you believe in co-incidences. Four of us went to a City Council meeting in Mid Oct., 2012 in hopes of stopping the contract which went into effect, Nov.1, 2012. Whether we were too late is what we are waiting to find out. It is now mid Jan. and we have heard nothing. We will not go away and we are still fighting to get justice for the victims. They have been named “The Forgotten Ones”, but we are still doing everything in our power to remind people about 125 victms whose lives and those of their families have been changed forever.

By: Cal Chem

Cal Chem — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 20:18:22 +0000

WARNING: FIRST RESPONDERS’ use of THE CHLORINE INSTITUTE “C” KIT may cause the catastrophic failure of a chlorine tank car, instantly creating a toxic gas plume with a distance of not less than seven miles. The first mile will have chlorine concentrations of 1,000 ppm, causing death after one or two breaths with no opportunity for escape. To learn more, see PETITION C KIT, click on “First Responder Warnings.”

By: Rudy Caparros

Rudy Caparros — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 20:28:39 +0000

• Haz Mat Experts petition Dow Chemical Company for safe rail tank cars transporting gas chlorine. Secondary containment is a necessary improvement that must be implemented.
See– PETITION C KIT for Haz Mat Expert comments.

By: Barbara Kloster

Barbara Kloster — Wed, 09 May 2012 06:36:35 +0000

If you all have been following the news then you have already heard this. i am going to tell you anyway. Veoliatrans is not only for sale but so is Veoliawaterandwaste management divisions. Secret bidders for the two divisions that have documentation against them. I wonder if there will be disclosure. The other news is that the President of Metrolink, John Fenton, has resigned and taken another position in Boca Raton, Fa. He turned Metrolink around and did such a good job that all the railways want him. I will keep you posted on further happenings in Congress, Veolia and Metrolink.

By: Barbara Kloster

Barbara Kloster — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:42:56 +0000

I don’t know if you are aware of it or not but a case was on TV today about a tour boat Captain who was texting and the tour boat was run over by a barge. He pled guilty and his case is going to court now. Two died and three dozen were injured. No cap was mentioned and it only took two years to go to court. He was charged with manslaughter and is in jail.
Metrolink 111 was a travesty of justice. The victims signed a letter stating they were satisfied with the cap so it would hurry things along. They still waited three years for their judgements and because of costs incurred, some judgements were very low and some victims received nothing.
Thank you Veolia Transportation, Metrolink and especially Congress, who could have made things better for all the victims. Those that lived will carry not only carry scars from their injuries but the trauma will never go away.
This is an election year. Make sure that whoever you vote for is running for the right reasons. That is to represent their constituents with whatever power they may have.
Go to their meetings and ask them questions on how they plan to represent you.

By: Alan Kandel

Alan Kandel — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:20:44 +0000

I hear what Barbara is saying loudly and clearly.

As it relates, there is a very thorough article covering positive train control at CNBC (http://www.cnbc.com/id/46806223) written by Alec Foege.

“Digital Rail Crash-Avoidance System Runs Into Trouble,” a “Special to CNBC.com” report, is a must read, but troubling are the concluding seven paragraphs in the report.

Here is what was communicated from that report:

“Another issue may be potential the limitations of the technology itself.

“Meteorcomm’s president, Robert Turnbull, emphasizes that his company’s radio units for the Metrolink project won’t be ‘safety critical,’ meaning the trains won’t rely on its transmitters to stop trains on a collision course.

“That’s because digital wireless signals can be disrupted. They are less reliable than the layers of mechanical failsafe measures the railroads have developed over decades, Turnbull says.

“Such an acknowledgement appears to undercut the Metrolink project’s whiz-bang factor, but Turnbull disagrees.

“’You don’t want to take too many risks at one time,’ when people’s lives are at stake, he says. ‘I think the benefits we offer are incremental.’

“Metrolink’s Fenton is confident that the benefits of the new collision system will far outweigh any lingering concerns, since fatal crashes are constant worry in an industry that racks up hundreds of red-signal violations every year.

“’Once we have that system in place’ he says, ‘a lot of the day-to-day pressures go away.’”